1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a door lock associated with a motor home having an alarm circuit for connection to the electrical system of the vehicle to alert the operator prior to movement of the vehicle that the lock is not secured, and more particularly to a motor home refrigerator door lock.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern motor homes, camping trailers and other recreational vehicles have refrigerators and freezers installed therein. Due to the close quarters in such vehicles, it is common practice to omit from the refrigerator or freezer the usual door handle and positive lock that might be found on a unit designed for the home. Instead, it is common to provide simple friction or magnetic locks to allow easy access to the refrigerator contents while the motor home is parked, and a locking device that requires an overt manual operation to secure the doors prior to driving the vehicle.
An inherent problem in this arrangement is that the user neglects to apply the manual lock to the refrigerator or freezer door prior to start-up and movement of the vehicle. Thus, it is highly probable that acceleration and turning of the vehicle will cause the doors to swing open with the resulting danger of the contents spilling out onto the floor of the vehicle. Of course, such spillage can, at worst, result in injury to occupants, and at best, waste food and stain carpets.
While door lock alarms are old in the art, no known prior art has approached or solved this problem resulting from the widespread use of recreational vehicles, motor homes, and the like by providing means of warning the operator of such unsafe condition.